Full guide to online poker in Canadian casinos

Table selection

The first thing a poker player needs to do to start the game is to choose a suitable table. They may differ in the type of poker (Hold'em, Omaha, five-card, seven-card, etc.) and in many other parameters. In terms of discipline, you should choose the table at which the card discipline that you want to learn to play is offered. For example, how to play Texas Hold'em Poker, you can read here. Now you should decide on the size of the bets or the limit, which are divided into the following categories:

• Microlimits — the lowest rates are valid at such tables, up to 0.01 / 0.02 $.
• Low - these include tables for which you can charge from $ 50 to $ 200 (100 big blinds).
• Average - the player's starting stack can be $200-600.
• High - here the initial stack will be more than $ 600.

The amount of bets will directly affect your choice, since the minimum size of the stack that you can take to the table depends on it. For example, depending on the poker room, for a table with bets of 0.01/0.02 $ You can take from $ 0.80, and for a table of $ 0.10/$0.20, the minimum stack will already be $ 8. It turns out that your choice can be influenced not only by personal preferences, but also by financial opportunities. For example, if you have $7 in your account, you will not be able to sit at the table with bets of $0.10/$0.20, since your bankroll is less than the minimum stack. For those who are interested in how to play poker on cards correctly and win, we recommend following bankroll management, which allows you to determine the optimal table in accordance with the financial capabilities of the poker player.

Advice from the editorial board of Canada-mobile: It is advisable for beginners to start their acquaintance with poker with minimal bets.

When choosing, you should also take into account the conditions for declaring bids. So, tables within the same discipline may differ in the size of the maximum bets that can be made in the auction:

• The unlimited poker player can bet the entire stack at any time of trading;
• Fixed limit — the minimum bet size coincides with the maximum increase, in addition, the same player cannot make more than three increases in one round of bidding;
• Pot limit — the maximum size of the bet and increase is equal to the size of the pot at the moment when the player makes a decision.

The terms of the announcement of bids affect the specifics of trading. So, at an unlimited table, you can put the entire stack at any time, which forces you to play the game more carefully and often use bluff. In fixed-format poker, you can play more freely, since it is impossible to lose a large amount in one round of trading, but in tactical techniques, participants are limited. Having decided on the bids, you should choose a table according to the number of seats:

• Full - there will be 7-10 opponents here, which makes you feel more comfortable due to the fact that mandatory bets will come to you less often, so you can play a more tight game.
• Short — for six places, which is why mandatory bets will have to be paid more often and careful play should be abandoned.
• One on one — only one opponent will play against you. Such tables require special strategic skill from the poker player, an aggressive style of drawing is recommended.

Advice from the editorial board of Canada-mobile: Beginners are recommended to start with full tables. When you learn the rules of poker and understand how to play correctly and win— you will be able to choose for yourself the optimal table format that will bring you the greatest profit.

Mandatory bets in poker

In all types of poker, bets are applied, which the player is forced to make without fail. They are announced in order of priority before the cards are dealt and can be of the following type:

Mandatory rates, which are also called "blind", serve to form a bank. The bank created before the cards were handed over increases the interest in its drawing among the participants of the table. In the tournament game, there is a regular increase in mandatory bets at regular intervals — event levels. This allows you to reduce the time of the tournament, because if there was no constant increase, large online events would last several days.

Game scenario

The easiest way to understand the rules of poker and how to play online is by using the example of the gameplay scenario, which we will describe in detail. This scenario is common to all disciplines:

1. Setting mandatory bets - they are made by those poker players who have reached the turn (Hold'em, Omaha, Draw) or who have drawn lots (Stud and Razz).
2. Distribution of starting cards - evaluating them, the poker player decides whether to participate in this distribution or not. If pocket cards have no prospects for further drawing, it is better to reset them without investing in the bank. Hands that can make a profit and allow you to make a strong combination should be played. When making a decision, it is important to take into account the actions of other rivals — the presence and size of their bets.
3. Bidding — they allow you to build up the pot by announcing bids and knocking out rivals by offering them a high raise. Bidding is one of their ways to win the pot and reduce the number of applicants for it. In order to successfully carry the drawings, you should master the tactics of bidding, which is an integral part of the tournament strategy. Auctions are held after the first handover of cards, and subsequently after each new handover of pocket or community cards, or after each exchange. The final bidding ends with a showdown and comparison of combinations.
4. Exchange, general and additional pocket cards — depending on the type of discipline, during the game you will be able to exchange cards, receive additional pocket or general. They complement your starting hand — they can strengthen it or make it unpromising for further drawing. When new cards appear, the poker player needs to overestimate the strength of his combination and the probability of winning the hand. Strong combinations reduce the risks of investing in the bank and vice versa.
5. Showdown - occurs after the last auction, if the pot has not been previously drawn. In online poker, this is a purely technical process, since the application independently analyzes the cards of all participants and determines which of them made the strongest combination. The winner gets the bank, which is formed in the process of all levels of bidding.

Bidding decisions

Each participant of the distribution is provided with several types of solutions that he can announce in the auction. They are taken in turn, but since we teach you how to play poker in an online format, we will not tell you about the order. The poker client automatically monitors the queue. It will be important for you to know the rules of precedence in order to understand the value of the position, which you will learn about by studying the strategy and bluffing techniques. During the bidding process, you will be able to make the following decisions:

1. Bet - you will be able to make this bet only if you make the decision first or no one has bet before you. This is the minimum bet that can be placed at the table you are at. If one of the opponents bets more, the move will return to you — you will have to match, reset or bet even more.
2. Check - poker player does not place any bet and passes the move to the opponent. This decision may also be inconclusive. If one of the opponents bets— the move will return to you and the Check can no longer be made.
3. Call participant compares the opponent's bet by placing a similar amount. If the Call is announced by all bidders, they are completed and the distribution proceeds to the next stage.
4. Rais is a bet with an increase that returns the move to the opponent. Rising, it should be remembered that the opponent will get a move again, after which he will be able to bet even more than you.
5. Fold is the most common decision, after which the poker player ends his participation in the hand by discarding the cards. He can no longer claim the bank.
6. All-in is a special case of an increase, in which a bidder puts all his chips — goes all-in.

In one hand, a poker player cannot use more chips than he had in his hands at the time of its beginning. Stack purchases are allowed only between hands, and in tournaments they are possible only in events of a certain format - with rebays and addons.

The essence of the bidding is to pursue the following goals:

• Minimize losses - seeing no prospects for winning, a player can make a check by trying to move cheaply to the next stage of the distribution. A fold allows you to exit trading when there are no prospects for winning or you need to place too high a bet.
• Increase the winnings - by placing bets and raises, the distribution participant can increase the pot, due to the fact that rivals will compare them. This can and should be done in situations where promising or win-win cards are on hand.
• Knock opponents out of the bidding - bids and raises allow you to force all or part of the opponents to Fold. Thus, you can increase the value of your starting cards or pick up the pot without opening.
• Win the pot — most of the banks are played not at the showdown, but at auction. To do this, it is necessary to hold a draw so that all the opponents are dropped. This is often achieved by bluffing.
• If the pot is not drawn in the auction and the hand has reached the showdown, in order to collect the winnings, you need to have the strongest combination at the table. Sometimes a Pair is enough to win, and in some hands it is required to show nats - it all depends on which cards the opponents open.

Advice from the editorial board of Canada-mobile: We recommend you to learn poker in the game for free chips, which is offered by all the poker rooms recommended by us. You will be able to master the basic rules without risks. To play a profitable game, you will also have to learn the strategy.

In conclusion

Card games are exciting entertainment and an opportunity to make money if the game is played for money. Currently, the most popular varieties of them, namely Poker, are available online. Thanks to this, every Internet user can start playing poker from his computer or phone. This attracts tens of thousands of players to poker rooms in Canada! If you also want to play poker online, carefully study our rules and tips - then you can bet more consciously.